VietNow National Magazine

Hepatitis C: What's It All About?
Do you know what Hepatitis C is? Do you know why you should care? Better read this article and find out.

By Robert Kolling

Recently released statistics show that more people are infected with Hepatitis C (HCV) than had been previously believed. As many as 4 million Americans and 170 million people worldwide may be infected. Reports are that there are between 30,000 and 40,000 new cases a year. HCV is the most common cause of end-stage liver disease requiring transplantation.

Symptoms of HCV are often mild or absent altogether – 80 percent of people with Hepatitis C have no signs or symptoms of the disease – but liver damage can occur with or without symptoms. Since someone may have the HCV virus in their blood and not experience symptoms for decades after infection, testing and treatment are vital.

Symptoms of liver disease are very non-specific. There is no distinct symptom that accurately indicates that something is wrong with the liver, what kind of liver disease someone has, or how serious the problem might be.

Symptoms that may be related to chronic Hepatitis C include (but are not limited to):
• Flu-like symptoms, which could include a low fever,
chills, headaches, fatigue, nausea, aversion to certain foods, stomach pain, vomiting, muscular aches, loss of appetite, and yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).
• Swelling and/or tenderness of the abdomen and feet.
• Altered mental status, such as intermittent confusion, disorientation, inability to carry out mental tasks, or irritability over insignificant things.
• Fatigue. Probably the most common debilitating symptom of liver disease. It is universal to all types and stages of liver diseases. In some people, fatigue begins several years after the liver disease diagnosis has been made. In others, it is the primary reason for seeking medical attention in the first place.
• Abdominal distention and weight gain. Abdominal distention may be caused by ascites – the accumulation of fluid in the abdomen.
• Other. Although not specific for liver disease, symptoms may include altered sleeping habits, joint aches, persistent rash, itching, bruising more easily than normal, loss of libido, and sometimes depression.

A person may encounter some or all of these symptoms at any time during the disease – either intermittently or consistently. People experience Hepatitis C in different ways. They may not have any symptoms at all. In fact, symptoms for chronic Hepatitis C may not appear until advanced liver disease is already present. It is also possible to have symptoms but minimal liver damage.

Remember – how you are feeling does not always match up with the severity of your condition. If you wait to experience symptoms before you start treatment, your liver may already be severely damaged.

Risk Factors. If you have experienced any of the above mentioned symptoms and/or been exposed to any of the following risk factors, you should get tested:
• Drug use. This includes using injection drugs (even once or a few times many years ago) or inhaling narcotics.
• Tattoos done more that 10 years ago or by an unlicensed business.
• Workplace. If you have worked in a healthcare or emergency medical setting or in the public safety field (police, fire, etc.).
• People. If you mother had Hepatitis C when you were born, or had a relationship with someone who had Hepatitis C, or was an IV drug user.
• Medical conditions. If you were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for Hepatitis C, been on long-term dialysis, or received a blood transfusion or organ transplant prior to July, 1992.
• Military service. Veterans who have served in combat have an increased probability of being exposed to the HCV virus. Exposure to blood through contact with a bleeding wound, receiving a blood transfusion, or having received a tattoo are just a few of the more common methods of transmission.

The VA or your primary care physician can order a blood test to detect the virus. If your test is positive, further evaluation will be needed through your doctor or a specialist, such as a gastroenterologist or hepatologist. Because Hepatitis C management can be complex, you will have the support of several healthcare professionals on your team. In addition to a primary care doctor and a specialist, different types of nurses, a pharmacist, and in some cases, a mental health professional and specialists in fields such as diet and exercise may be part of your treatment team.

Currently there are but a few treatment options that are being given. However, there has been a flurry of research activity to find a cure for hepatitis. Treatments have gone from less than 10 percent effective to therapies now that are 50 percent effective. If you have one or more of these symptoms it is important that you get tested. The effectiveness rate is going up each year and the sooner you get tested, the better chance you have of beating this without further damage to your liver.

Related articles:
My First Liver Biopsy
Gunned Down in Basic Training

Back to top of page.

VietNow National
1835 Broadway – Rockford, Illinois 61104
800.837.VNOW – 815.227.5100
nationalhq@vietnow.com

We can't continue our work without your help.
Please click here to donate now.